Best of the Best is now streaming on Netflix. The film joined the catalog on September 18, 2026 and follows Maya, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and Anjali, played by Priyanka Kedia, two childhood friends who join UCLA's competitive Bollywood fusion dance team. The movie combines coming-of-age comedy, friendship, college life, and the pressure of a national competition, with no prior knowledge of another title required. Netflix's official Tudum schedule lists the September 18 release, while an interview published on release day describes the film as now streaming.
Is Best of the Best already on Netflix?
Yes. Netflix set the release for September 18, 2026, and the official title page is live on the service. Tudum lists a runtime of approximately 1h52m. On the Brazilian Netflix page reviewed for this guide, the movie is rated A12 and includes Brazilian Portuguese audio and Portuguese audio description, alongside the original English audio. Audio and subtitle options can vary by device and account settings. Check the official Best of the Best page on Netflix for the options shown on your profile.
| Information | What is confirmed |
|---|---|
| Netflix release | September 18, 2026 |
| Runtime | Approximately 1h52m |
| Genre | Comedy, with teen and coming-of-age elements |
| Director | Lena Khan |
| Lead cast | Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia |
| Rating shown on the Brazilian page | A12 |
What is the plot, without spoilers?
Maya and Anjali grew up together and arrive at college with a very close friendship. They join UCLA's competitive Bollywood fusion dance team and enter an environment where creativity, discipline, ambition, and personal relationships overlap. The artistic and competitive goal is to advance toward the US national championship, but the film uses that contest as the setting for changes in the protagonists' friendship and sense of identity.
Netflix presents Best of the Best as a coming-of-age comedy centered on sisterhood, friendship, and self-acceptance. Its main purpose is not to explain every dance style in technical detail, but to show what the competition means to students who find community, cultural expression, and pressure in the same space. That framing appears in both the official cast and story guide and the trailer coverage.
Who is in the cast?
The story centers on Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, known for Never Have I Ever, as Maya, and Priyanka Kedia as Anjali. Hasan Minhaj also appears as Hamza Latif, a professor, while serving as one of the film's co-writers.
- Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Maya
- Priyanka Kedia as Anjali
- Hasan Minhaj as Hamza Latif
- Ankur Rathee
- Janina Gavankar
- Chaneil Kular
- Becky Alex
- Shreya Navile
- Nihar Duvvuri
- Nico Greetham
- Amryn Khurana
- Tanishq Joshi
- Lilly Singh
- Sasha Bhasin
- Saara Chaudry
- Kavi Ramachandran
Netflix lists a large ensemble because the dance team and college setting are important parts of the story. Not every character's role was detailed in the official materials reviewed, so the list above avoids assigning roles that those pages do not confirm.
Who made the movie and what is the creative context?
Best of the Best is directed by Lena Khan. The screenplay is by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam, former collaborators on Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. The pair also produce through 186K Films, with Jonathan Eirich producing via Rideback; Ryan Halprin and Ellen Schwartz are executive producers, according to Tudum.
Minhaj and Venkataramanujam have said the idea grew from their experiences and memories of collegiate Bollywood dance teams in the United States. Their stated aim was to use that world to tell a story about young South Asian Americans, friendship, and belonging. Khan, meanwhile, described an energetic visual approach with music-video and editorial-fashion references. Those elements help frame the movie: dance provides spectacle, but it is also the environment where the coming-of-age conflicts unfold.
What to know before you press play
- It is a coming-of-age comedy. The dance competition drives the plot, but Netflix presents Maya and Anjali's relationship as the emotional core.
- The setting is collegiate. The story follows UCLA students and the competitive culture of Bollywood fusion dance on US campuses.
- It is not a dance documentary. The competitive scene is used within a fictional story about friendship, identity, and ambition.
- The runtime is about 1h52m. This is a feature film designed to be watched in one sitting, not an episodic series.
- Brazilian Portuguese audio is listed on the Brazilian page. The page reviewed includes Portuguese audio and Portuguese audio description, along with the original English track.
- Netflix presents the tone as light and youth-oriented. The official page categorizes the title among comedies and teen movies and highlights themes such as sisterhood, college, and friendship.
A quick guide to deciding whether to watch
Best of the Best is aimed at viewers looking for a young comedy built around dance, college life, and a female friendship at the center of the story. The creators' stated angle is the South Asian diaspora experience and the world of Bollywood fusion competitions, approached with humor and intensity. Viewers coming for Maitreyi Ramakrishnan will see her playing a new protagonist entering young adulthood; viewers coming for the dance element will find rehearsals, teamwork, and competition used as dramatic engines.
To stay spoiler-free, all you need to know is the starting point: Maya and Anjali join the team and pursue the national championship. Netflix's official materials emphasize that the challenge is not only executing choreography, but also dealing with what competition demands from their friendship, confidence, and personal choices.
